It's no secret that high school boys are horny. That's the basic premise
of directors Chris and Paul Weitz's raunch fest American Pie, a
sweet coming of age story wrapped in the same hilarious gross out comedy
of There's Something About Mary. American Pie is one mark
above the rest of teen movies that seem to flood the marketplace, taking
away valuable screens from worthwhile movies. Pie is about four
friends nearing the end of their high school years. Four friends who also
happen to be virgins. They make a vow to lose their virginity by the end
of the senior prom.

Jim (Jason Biggs) is the main protagonist. His efforts to woo women have
fallen short of fruition. Jim's Dad (Eugene Levy from SCTV) is perfect
as the dad who doesn't quite know how to articulate the finer points of
the birds and the bees to his son. Jim's friends Oz (Chris Klein from
Election), Finch (Eddie Kaye Thomas),
and Kevin (Thomas Ian Nichols) are having similar problems. Oz, the stereotypical
jock, joins choir to try to find new women. Jim becomes enraptured by
Czech exchange student Nadia (Shannon Elizabeth), and Finch tries to move
further down the bases with his girlfriend Vicky (Tara Reid, Urban
Legend). Alyson Hannigan (Willow from Buffy the Vampire Slayer),
Natasha Lyonne (Slums of Beverly Hills) and Mena Suvari also have
wonderful roles.

This movie is so effective because deep down, we can relate to these
guys. Fortunately, hopefully, none of us ever sunk down to the levels
that Jim and company did. Watching what these guys do is hilarious and
painful at the same time. What makes this movie worthwhile is that it
actually has some meaning behind it. Really. Hidden amongst the toilet
humor (by now you have probably heard of scenes involving a pie), writer
Adam Herz actually managed to infuse some meaning to the story that, ultimately,
makes these characters seem even more realistic. Much like the aforementioned
Mary and the overlooked SLC Punk,
a good movie first and foremost starts with a good story. You can surround
it with violence and profanity (SLC Punk)
or bottom scraping humor that is both disgusting and riotously funny,
but in the end, if you have no real plot, your movie will not be worth
anyone's time.